The Mine Effect
by KingN7
Summary: Quietly defending himself from the usual terrors of Minecraftia, Steve makes a monumental discovery: Minecraftia is not alone! Can Steve survive discovering the wreckage of the Normandy? Can he defend his planet from the most elite squad in the galaxy this Christmas? Mass Effect-Minecraft crossover written for Aria's Afterlife's December Competition.
1. Crash Landing

**Alright, crossover time! I've never been a huge fan of crossovers, or maybe I just don't think I can write them, but if it means I have a chance to win a prize, then so be it! :D My chosen crossover: Mass Effect-Minecraft. Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, and Minecraft is owned by Mojang, so enjoy!**

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_The Mine Effect_

_Ch.1: Crash Landing_

_Minecraftia_

_Steve_

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Steve sat quietly in his wooden home, slamming a hammer to his new iron sword. Life wasn't easy, but with this sword, he could finally face the monsters outside. With this sword, he could finally venture out into the wilderness without getting hurt.

Steve placed the hammer down and studied the sword, ensuring it was as sharp as he could make it. Satisfied with the result, he placed the sword in his inventory and turned to his chest; he lifted the lid and began pulling out his iron armor. The armor was scratched, beaten, and faded, but it was his; it was the only thing that kept him alive in this cruel world. In a few minutes he had his chest plate, leggings, boots, and helmet all on him and was ready to face the dangers outside.

Taking out his sword, he opened the door and peered outside. The snow was lightly falling onto the forest floor around him and the sun was rising in the distance; it was actually day!

Steve sighed with relief and closed the door behind him, eager to take advantage of the sunlight. Putting the sword back into his inventory, he took out his stone axe and began chopping down a nearby tree. Starting from the bottom, he chopped at the trunk until a square block popped out. The block floated for a moment before flying into Steve, eagerly hiding inside of his inventory. Steve continued chopping at the rest of the tree until the entire trunk had become nothing but blocks in his inventory.

Using his crafting bench, Steve quickly converted the trunk blocks into wooden planks and turned back to his home. Using the ladder on the side of the house, he climbed to the roof and started building a lookout tower on the top. He knew, if he was going to survive for much longer, that he had to be able to look outside without the fear of getting shot by skeletons. A lookout tower would fulfill that need; nothing could shoot him when he was so high up. After a few minutes the tower was built, with a ladder in the center that returned to his actual home.

Proud of his achievement, Steve began looking out the lookout tower, ensuring it would be usable when the monsters returned. The snow-covered forest surrounded him completely, and off in the distance tall, icy mountains loomed menacingly. His eyes quickly turned from the mountains as he scanned the surroundings; those mountains held nothing but painful memories and tons of lost loot.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he turned to the ladder, ready to cook some pork and explore more. Just as he placed his hand on the ladder's first rung he heard a noise; though the noise was faint, he had trained himself to hear every possible sound. He turned his head to the sky and his eyes widened; a meteorite was falling towards the planet. He gripped the wooden guardrail of his tower and watched the meteorite continue its descent towards the nearby forest. The meteorite slammed into the forest, instantaneously disintegrating the trees it slammed into.

Steve gasped as a giant chuck of his forest disappeared. When he was sure the meteorite stopped burning away his forest, he quickly slid down the ladder and rushed out of the house, running towards the object that dared destroy HIS forest. He rushed through bushes, past wild pigs and cows, and around the snow covered trees as he neared the crash site. His determined glare quickly disappeared as he finally eyed the object; it wasn't a meteorite, it was made of . . . iron? It looked silvery, and nothing but iron looked silvery . . . right? Taking his sword out of his inventory he began creeping towards the strange object, wondering what crafted such a thing. Suddenly a panel on the side of the object jutted out and he let out a small yelp, rushing behind a tree in fear.

After a moment of hiding he crouched out and eyed the mysterious ship again while shaking lightly. The panel was opened now and a . . . creature was walking out of it. But it wasn't a pig, or a cow, or even a creeper: it was a human!

He pulled his head behind the tree and gripped his sword tightly. He knew better than anyone how terrifying humans could be, even though he was one himself. All of the other humans had abandoned him, and some of them had even tried to kill him! If he didn't attack this human first, he would never win.

He peered around the tree again, careful to remain crouched. He noticed the human again, but he his shaking increased; there were MORE of them! And some of them didn't even look human; some of them looked like monsters! A creature with mandibles, mandibles that would surely want to eat his flesh, was talking to the first human, trying to . . . plan hunting strategies? He had no idea what it was saying.

He began looking at his surroundings, taking in each detail of the crash site. If he could get the slip on these creatures and humans, he might win. If he could separate them and sneak attack each of them individually, he wouldn't have to be afraid of them anymore.

He looked to his left and noticed a tree covered in holes that, he thought, he could easily hide in. If he stayed in the tree and lured a few of them out by making a few noises, he could get the jump on each of them! And if he could get the jump on them, they would never hurt him!

Careful to remain quiet, he slowly made his way over to the tree. Every once in a while he looked back at the odd ship, each time seeing more creatures or humans come out, and each time noticing their conversation growing more intense. Every new creature or human increased his resolve; he HAD to stop them before it was too late!

Silently climbing the tree, he looked at the group one more time. The first human, from what Steve could see, was trying to calm the others down as they pointed fingers at a smaller human that seemed to limp. As he was close to them, he could see their nameplates above their heads; the first human was named Shepard, the limping one was named Joker, the mandible monster was named Garrus, and the ship was . . . named EDI? He shook this thought out of his head and readied his plan; their names were unimportant, and he wouldn't need to remember them when he killed them for his own survival.

Taking a block of wood out of his inventory, he crept to the edge of the tree and placed it down. With a loud plunk the block clamped to the ground and the humans and creatures jumped, startled by the loud noise. The human called Shepard put his hand out to the others and began walking towards the plank with Garrus and a human named Zaeed behind him. Steve smirked as Shepard walked up to the block and began searching the area around him.

The mandible creature named Garrus walked past with Zaeed a few feet behind him. The old human kicked the block and started to scratch his head; this was the perfect time to strike!

As silently as possible Steve jumped out of the tree and stepped towards the old human with his sword held high. He had to kill him, he had to kill him, he had to . . ..

Steve furiously let the sword fall towards the old human; these things attacked his forest, killed his wildlife, and surely wanted to take everything he had! For a moment Steve felt victorious as the sword closed in on its target; his plan was working!

Steve had obviously never faced someone like Zaeed before.

At the last second the old merc moved his body with the speed of a cheetah and Steve's attack completely missed. His sword slammed into the dirt and he desperately tried to pull it out of the ground, but Zaeed was too quick. Zaeed gripped Steve's neck and slammed him into a tree as Steve dropped his sword and tried to pull the hand from his neck.

"Guddamn amateur." Zaeed grunted as he slammed Steve into the tree again and threw him onto the ground.

Struggling to breath, Steve tried to reach for his sword. He couldn't let them kill him; he couldn't lose everything he had tried so hard to protect! Then the old human stepped on his hand and Steve let out a cry of agony. Steve began shaking in terror as the old human lifted a strange object while continuing to step on his hand. Everything became black as the butt of the strange object hit him in the head; he had lost . . ..

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**Author's endnote: Poor Steve, you shouldn't just attack everyone you see! Hopefully this was an enjoyable chapter! :D**


	2. Tests

**Alrighty, it's time for chapter 2! This is amazing! :D As usual, Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Minecraft is owned by Mojang, so please enjoy!**

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_Ch.2: Tests_

_Normandy SR-2_

_Steve_

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"Interesting, food, though edible by all species, has side effects. Eating local food causes 'blockification.' This human prime example."

Steve slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times at his surroundings. Though his vision was hazy, he could tell he wasn't alone.

"Ah, specimen waking! Must run tests, don't scare him!"

His hand was sore but Steve tried to lift it anyway. It wouldn't move, however; he was tied down! Steve started to panic and tried desperately to rip the restraints; they were going to hurt him even more before they ate him!

"Stress levels increasing, will hurt himself. Stop him if you can."

Steve tried to look around but his head was tied down as well; he was trapped! They would hurt him, they would . . ..

Steve stopped moving as a hand touched his forehead. He shook lightly as the hand gently rubbed his head.

A face . . . at least he thought it was a face, appeared in his vision. He could see two glowing eyes but . . . only two eyes and purple glass. The three fingers of the hand continued gently rubbing his head.

"It's ok, you're safe." The strange creature spoke angelically as a little light turned on and off where her mouth should have been.

Steve began to calm down at hearing the creature's voice; the voice gave him an indescribable peace . . ..

"Ang . . . an-gel?" Steve tried to say; he didn't remember the last time he had actually spoken to someone.

The creature slowly shook her head, "No, but you're safe. We won't hurt you."

"No . . . hurt?" Steve asked as he struggled to create the words; he knew the words in his head, but it had been so long since he formed them with his own lips.

"Ah, specimen reacting positively to translator! Must run more test!"

A frog-like creature came into his vision and Steve whimpered; he had a needle in his hands!

"No hurt, can't hurt me!" Steve yelled as he started to struggle against the restraints again.

"Mordin, put the needle away!" The purple creature yelled as she turned towards the frog creature.

The frog creature nodded, "Running test, specimen reacts fearfully to needles. Interesting development."

"Mordin, have you learned anything yet?" A voice from across the room said as Steve shivered.

"Specimen born human, morphed by local environment. Fears needles and finds Quarians angelic. Much more to discover!" 'Mordin' said pridefully.

"Does he talk?" the voice asked as it came closer to Steve.

"Yes, reacted to translator well. Speaks oddly, but can be understood."

"Good." The human said as he came into Steve's view; it was Shepard!

"Can you understand me?" Shepard asked as he looked at Steve; Steve nodded lightly against the straps as his eyes widened at the sight of the brawny human.

Shepard crossed his arms and glared at Steve, "Why did you attack us?"

Steve looked over at the 'Quarian,' wondering if he should answer. The 'Quarian' nodded and Steve turned his eyes back to the human.

"Humans kill, creatures kill, destroy stuff. I protect stuff." Steve tried to say as he struggled with the words; why couldn't he speak?

"What do you mean 'destroy stuff?'" Shepard asked as he stepped closer and unfolded his arms.

"Trees burn, explode, you destroy them. I protect forest, this my land." Steve continued struggling with his words.

"He thinks we're trying to destroy his land." The 'Quarian' said as she returned her hand to her side and turned to the human.

"No try, do. Kill, destroy, like Herobrine." Steve responded as he tried to loosen his restraints to no avail.

"Herobrine?" Shepard asked as he studied Steve, "What's Herobrine?"

"Herobrine destroy world, come to seek revenge." Steve answered as he studied the ceiling. "He kill all humans."

"Who did he kill and why?" Shepard looked at Steve curiously.

"Me no need to tell, he just kills! He need die, humans need die, only animals friends! Only animals no kill!" Steve yelled at Shepard in an angry roar.

"Specimen angered by death, yet attempts to kill us. Yes, yes, yes." Mordin mumbled as he tapped a glowing panel on his arm.

"We aren't here to kill you. What's your name?" Shepard asked as he continued to study Steve.

"My name Steve, your name Shepard. Look above heads." Steve said with a sigh; it was obvious what his name was when it was plastered over his head for all to see.

"How do you know my name?" Shepard tilted his head and looked at Steve curiously.

"Name above heads, look." His eyes turned to the 'Quarian.' "She Tali." His eyes then turned to Mordin. "And he Mordin. Ship EDI, monster Garrus, old human Zaeed. Name above heads." He repeated.

Shepard scratched his head and looked at Mordin, "Uh, Mordin?"

Mordin was busily typing on his omnitool, "Yes, interesting development. Names over heads, simple yet impossible. Unless . . . will look into this, Shepard, need to run more tests."

"No hurt!" Steve shouted as he heard the word 'test.'

"Will put him under sedative, will not harm patient." Mordin said as he pulled out a new needle.

"NO! NO HURT! NO TEST!" Steve exclaimed as he struggled against the restraints with all of his might.

The needle poked Steve's arm and he screamed out, "NO! NO!"

His vision grew fuzzy again and he looked over at Tali and Shepard.

"Help . . .." He whispered as his eyes closed and everything became black. . ..

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**Author's endnote: Poor Steve is getting tested on by Mordin? Well, that doesn't sound like much fun! :D But, ya know, Mordin does like running tests on things . . .. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. The Night

Chapter 3 time! Yay! I'm kind of surprised there are no other Minecraft-Mass Effect crossovers, but oh well. Minecraft is owned by Mojang, and Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, so enjoy!

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_Ch.3: The Night_

_Normandy SR-2_

_Steve_

"Look, Joker saved our lives from those Batarians! They were out for blood after the Bahak system, and HE saved us. If we didn't crash here everyone would be dead and you know it!"

Steve grudgingly opened his eyes to the same ceiling as before. He tried to lift his arm but he was still strapped down! When were they going to just eat him so everything could just be done!?

Steve tried to lift his head to the voices but he was again still strapped down. He couldn't hear everything they were saying, but it sounded like an argument about the Joker human. Steve stopped listening for a moment as an idea struck him.

His arm was tied down, but he could move it a little bit. He began moving his hand in a circular motion and heard the table below him begin to crack. He was going to make it! He was going to live!

Suddenly a hand gripped his arm tight and forced it down. Steve yelped in surprise and fear as the old merc glared at him.

"Guddamn amateur." Zaeed mumbled as he continued holding Steve's arm down.

Tears began to fall from Steve's eyes, "Just kill me! Just kill Steve! Eat Steve, no more pain!"

"What is this arsehole yapping about?" Zaeed asked as he turned his head to Mordin.

"Stress levels high, possibly delirious from medication. Awoke quickly, surprising, could be effect of local food. More tests needed." Mordin responded as he stepped close to observe Steve.

Mordin stared for a moment, taking notes on the strange panel on his arm, "Yes, yes, scared, thinks we will kill him. Loosening head restraints may help."

Mordin unclipped the strap on Steve's head and Steve lifted his head up to look around. There were other humans and creatures in the room, each silently looking at him. He looked at each of them, taking in each of their names. There was a Jacob, a Miranda, a Thane, a Jack, a Samara, and a Kasumi all standing with those he already knew. Their faces studied him, each of them taking in the details of his face; Steve didn't know what they were thinking.

He turned from them and noticed a window; it had been a long time since he saw glass. After admiring the glass he looked out of the window itself and noticed the sun setting in the horizon; it was nearly nighttime!

Steve quickly turned back to the others and cleared his throat, "Nighttime, we need light! I need sword! Monsters come in night!"

Shepard stepped forward and crossed his arms, "You aren't getting your sword back. Now, what monsters?"

"The monsters! Herobrine's monsters! They come, attack humans, kill them all. They kill you too!" Steve responded as he scanned the window, looking for monsters.

Zaeed chuckled as he continued holding Steve's arm down, "I'd like to see'em try."

"No try, do. Will kill all, need to go home!" Steve exclaimed as he began fighting the restraints again.

"So an excuse to leave and return to your house I see." Shepard glared at Steve, "And why should we trust you?"

Steve stared out of the window for a moment, watching the sun continue to set on the horizon, "I help you leave. Mountain filled with treasure, should help you, but must let me return home safely."

"How will treasure get us out of here?" Shepard asked as he stepped closer.

"Your ship damaged, need treasure to repair. Gold, iron, diamond, all in mountain mines . . . Herobrine's mines." Steve whispered the last words as he closed his eyes, trying desperately to forget the memories.

"Herobrine? You mean the 'leader of the monsters?'"

Steve opened his eyes and nodded at Shepard, "Yes, he more powerful than you, than entire crew. But together, you, me, and others, we have chance. We have ability to fight!"

Shepard studied Steve for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth over the blocky human's face. Steve simply watched him as he lowered his arms and scratched his chin.

"Alright, we'll let you go, but the team's coming with you." Shepard said as he turned to the others, "We'll all go and see what's happening here, find supplies, and leave so we can finally get back to Omega."

The group nodded simultaneously and began filing out. Zaeed and Mordin unlatched Steve's restraints and Steve jumped up. Finally noticing his armor was gone, he turned to Mordin and glared.

"Where my armor?" Steve asked as he stepped towards Mordin.

"Shepard used it, helped fix part of hole in ship." Mordin responded as he turned to his lab.

"Come on rookie, get a move on." Zaeed grunted as he pushed Steve towards the door.

"No, need armor and sword! Need defense!" Steve yelled as he tried to push past Zaeed to get to Mordin.

"That's not happening, now follow us." Shepard turned to the door and motioned for Steve and Zaeed to follow him.

"Monsters will kill!" Steve tried to explain as he continued to fight against Zaeed.

"Move it before he changes his mind rookie." Zaeed glared at Steve and Steve froze for a moment.

"Ok . . .." Steve mumbled as he turned to Shepard and started walking out.

"Will be behind you, Shepard, must finish last test." Mordin said as he typed on a console.

"Alright Mordin, just hurry." Shepard responded as he walked out of the lab.

Steve silently followed Shepard with Zaeed directly behind him. He knew these people weren't going to eat him but . . . he didn't know how he could get rid of them. Maybe if they fought Herobrine they would all die and he could be alone again, just as he always was; it was the only way of life he knew.

Shepard opened a door and they walked into a small room. The door closed behind Steve and for a moment he thought they were trapped somehow, but a door on the other side of the room opened. The cool winter breeze of Minecraftia hit Steve and he shivered for a moment; the armor was not only protective, but warm.

Zaeed noticed Steve's shiver and chuckled, "Need a blanket, rookie?"

Steve turned his head and glared at Zaeed, "No, need armor."

Zaeed grumbled something along the lines of 'guddamn pansy' and pushed Steve forward. Steve began searching the horizon with his eyes as he walked forward . . . but a sight quickly filled his vision, a sight that made his eyes widen.

The 'Miranda' human was . . . bent over by a tree, observing a floating sapling. Steve admired the view as he continued to walk towards the group.

Suddenly Steve slammed into something hard and he jumped back; Shepard turned around and glared. Steve gulped and looked down at his feet; Shepard truly was intimidating.

Shepard turned to the group and cleared his throat, "Alright everyone, Steve is going to show us his home. We'll follow him to it, but we need to be careful, so watch your backs."

Shepard nodded at Steve and Steve turned from Miranda to the forest, "My home this way, large tower on top, can see everywhere."

Steve started pushing through the bushes and grass as Shepard and the rest of the Normandy ground crew followed. Steve assumed the rest of the crew was busily fixing the ship, but he wasn't in a good position to be asking questions right now.

After a few minutes they entered a clearing and Steve smiled at his small home, a home he hadn't thought he'd see again.

"We home!" Steve exclaimed as he rushed up to the door and opened it.

Steve noticed sun was nearly behind the mountains and the moon was rising on the other horizon; night was nearly upon them, "Come, get inside!"

Shepard and the rest of the crew followed him into the house and squeezed in. Luckily, with a few quick changes from Steve, the house comfortably fit all of them.

Shepard watched Steve change the house with near astonishment, and was barely able to speak when he had finished. On Minecraftia, it was normal to expand your house in seconds, but in the rest of the galaxy . . ..

Shepard decided to speak, "Steve . . . how did you do that?"

Steve turned to him and looked at him, slightly confused by his question, "How I do what? Fix home?"

"Yeah, how did you expand your house so fast?"

Steve turned to the others, "You all confused?"

The ground crew turned to look at one another for a moment before turning back to Steve and nodding in near unison.

Steve shifted uncomfortably and looked out of the window, "I build, it normal. We need rest, sleep before monsters spawn."

"But where did blocks come from? How did house not collapse when axe broke pieces of it? This is impossible!" Mordin exclaimed as he studied Steve.

"Blocks come from inventory." Steve explained as he pointed at his belt; he didn't understand how they didn't know, "And walls no collapse from gravity, only people and animals affected."

Mordin busily typed notes onto his arm, "Yes, yes, interesting, but still impossible. Need samples . . .."

"No, need rest, must remain inside until monsters leave." Steve said as he moved towards his bed, "Have wool, wood, can build more beds. We all sleep until day, then venture to mountains to save all."

Steve quickly crafted several beds on his crafting table and began placing them around the room, "All need sleep, or day take long time to come."

Steve placed the last of the beds and smiled as the crew began grudgingly getting onto the beds. Grunt sat on his bed for a moment before sliding off and walking up to Steve.

"I need two beds." Grunt growled.

Steve nodded and place a bed down next to Grunt's other bed, "Ok, just sleep."

Grunt grumbled and laid down on the bed; after a few moments he began snoring softly. The others also settled into their beds and closed their eyes.

Steve crawled into his own bed and allowed Mordin and Zaeed to restrain his arms; he knew there was no way out of it, they didn't trust him. Shepard took the bed next to him with Tali and Miranda both close by.

Steve watched the two women, entranced by each of them; he hadn't actually seen any women in a long time, and the few he had seen before had never been so . . . curvy. It almost seemed like it was wrong of him to like anything that wasn't blocky but they were . . . they were beautiful.

Steve then watched as Shepard, the Shepard who scared him more than anyone, hugged Tali, and for a moment he felt fearful regret; he didn't know anything about them, but from the way they held each other . . ..

He turned his attention to Miranda, who seemed lonelier; he knew nothing could happen between any of them, but it wouldn't be wrong of him to appreciate such a work of art, right? Miranda sat on the bed with her side to him, allowing him to see her curves in the moonlight; she was truly beautiful.

Steve then heard a low growl and jumped slightly; it was truly nighttime again. He peered out of the window and watched as a zombie patrolled the edge of his clearing, walking slowing and acting the way any zombie would act: stupidly.

"Must ask, what is that called?" Mordin asked suddenly beside Steve.

Steve turned to Mordin in slight surprise, "Zombie, Herobrine's foot soldier. Will attack us unless we sleep."

Mordin nodded, "Yes, I see, will return to bed."

Steve watched Mordin return to his bed for a moment and then returned his gaze to Miranda; sadly, she was covered up by blocky covers and he couldn't see her at all. Slightly defeated, he rested his head on his pillow and closed his eyes; tomorrow was going to be a long day . . ..

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Author's endnote: Alright, Normandy ground crew in Steve's house, yay! Hopefully I'll finish this soon, and find out the secrets of Herobrine's mountain! :D Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next chapter!


	4. The Mine

**Chapter 4 is here! Sorry about the long delay, but this story is not on my priority list. Sorry to those who enjoy it, but I will finish it, it'll just take a while. As always, Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Minecraft is owned by Mojang, so please enjoy!**

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Ch.4: The Mine

_Minecraftia_

_Steve_

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"Get up." A voice grunted.

Steve opened his eyes and his head jumped up; someone was there! He scanned the room quickly until he noticed Zaeed standing next to his bed with the strange object in his hands. Steve looked at his own hands in surprise; he was untied!

"Come on now, get up." Zaeed ordered as glared at Steve.

Steve pushed the blanket aside and pulled himself out of the bed. Everyone else was already holding their odd weapons and in full combat mode.

"Alright Steve, show us where the treasure is." Shepard said as he stepped forward.

Steve nodded and opened one of his chests. He took his spare armor and sword out and pocketed it in his inventory; he didn't know what they would find exactly, and he had to be prepared.

Steve pulled out a map and showed it to Shepard. "We follow map to discover mines."

Shepard nodded and gestured towards the door. "Lead the way."

Steve walked out of the house with the others following closely behind him. Zaeed was especially close to him, watching Steve's every move like a hawk.

After a short time Steve grew rather uncomfortable and turned his head to Zaeed. "What?"

Zaeed glared, "Nuthin', get a move on, rookie."

Steve sighed, "I no rookie, I kill more than you."

Zaeed chuckled, "You've killed more than me? Are you out of your guddamn mind rookie?"

"No, I serious, I kill thousands of monsters."

Zaeed shook his head, "Thousands? That's nothing, rookie, I've killed at least ten thousand arseholes in my time."

"I could kill you." Steve mumbled as he turned his head back to the map.

Zaeed laughed, "Uh huh, just like you did when we found you."

Steve mumbled curses under his breath and studied the map for a moment. He didn't want to talk to this stupid man; he needed to get rid of them all.

"Shoulda heard yerself." Zaeed continued, "You were louder than a guddamn rusty engine. Only a rookie wouldn'ta realized the snow makes a lot of guddamn noise."

Steve nodded and continued studying his map . . . of course, that's how he had known. . ..

"I don't like snow." Steve lifted his head and looked up to the mountain. "We close, follow me."

Steve pushed past a bush and looked at the small hole in the mountain. A broken mine cart track led out of it before stopping on a nearby tree. Steve motioned towards the entrance to the mines and stepped closer.

"Herobrine's mines, very dangerous." Steve explained, "Filled with monsters, but also treasure. Must be careful."

The group nodded and held their strange objects up. Steve looked at the object in Zaeed's hand for a moment before coughing.

"What rookie?" Zaeed grunted as he turned his head to face Steve.

"What's that?" Steve asked as he pointed at the strange object.

"This is a gun, rookie, it can kill things just by pointing at them."

Steve studied the weapon, "How?"

Zaeed pointed the gun at a tree, "You just aim . . .." He said as he fired a shot at the tree, "And shoot."

Steve jumped from the noise and looked at the scorch mark on the tree in wonder, "Oh . . .."

"Come on, show us the way." Shepard ordered as he walked up to Zaeed and Steve.

Steve nodded and turned back to the mine. He began walking towards it with the others walking closely behind him. The mine itself was partly lit up . . . but to Steve, it was incredibly eerie. The memories in this place . . ..

Taking a torch from the wall, Steve continued down the mineshaft, pushing past the wooden columns that supported the ceiling. He continued on as the mine went further and further down . . ..

A sudden noise made Steve jump and turn towards a dark tunnel. He took a step closer and a bat jumped out, flying past him and the others to another tunnel.

Steve sighed in relief and turned back to the main tunnel. There were lights below, but so far, he hadn't encountered any monsters . . . that wasn't normal . . ..

"I have bad feeling." Steve's voice echoed through the cave.

Zaeed grunted, "It's just a guddamn cave, rookie."

Steve shook his head. "No, it more . . . it too quiet, monsters usually guard."

Steve stopped as the party approached a small ravine; a tiny bridge connected their mineshaft with the tunnel going further.

Steve gulped and turned towards the others. "Herobrine builds traps, we need be careful."

Shepard nodded and turned to his squad. "Anyone have a grenade ready?"

A large lizard with the name Grunt over his head pounded his fists together. "Of course, Battlemaster, where should it go?"

Shepard motioned towards the bridge. "Throw it across and see if it activates any traps."

"Um, Shepard?" Tali stepped towards him.

"Yes, Tali?" Shepard turned his attention to her.

"Wouldn't throwing a grenade cause a cave-in down here?"

Shepard chuckled. "Didn't you see the floating blocks of stone earlier? I don't think anything can make these walls crumble."

Steve cleared his throat, regaining everyone's attention. "Explosions not good, cave-ins possible. Gravel can fall, cause pain."

"Really? Alright, fine." Shepard crossed his arms. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Steve opened his inventory and suited up in his backup armor. "I go forward, make sure it safe."

Shepard nodded. "Alright, but stay in sight. If this Herobrine is even half as bad as you say he is, we need to stick together."

"I agree." Steve stepped towards the small bridge and took a deep breath. "Wish luck."

Taking his sword from his inventory, Steve took the first step onto the wooden bridge. His footsteps echoed through the dark chamber, yet still Steve heard no monsters. This was genuinely terrifying: he knew the monsters were around somewhere, but they always made noises. He would never know when they would strike if they didn't make noises . . ..

He finished crossing the bridge and stared down into the dark tunnel ahead of him, squinting to try and see anything in the darkness. His torch was still burning, but it only showed him so far, and everything beyond the torch's limited range was completely black. Steve turned back to the party, looking over the strange creatures again. They were all different, but like the many types of wood they were all the same; they were all soldiers. They were all on a mission together, and he could tell their bond was strong. He . . . didn't understand how that was possible. On Minecraftia, you're always alone. Befriending people was dangerous; they could grief you, or steal your stuff. The last humans Steve remembered being with all betrayed him or died. He blinked back a tear at remembering his lost friends; his lost sister Stephanie. It wasn't what she had deserved, but he knew life wasn't about what you deserved. He knew her death was his fault, but nothing he could do would change it now. He had had to move on, and the only way he knew how was to do it alone . . ..

"Steve!" Shepard's yell echoed through the cavern, making Steve jump. "Is it safe?"

"I think s—" Steve felt something slash at his back and he cried out. "Ahh!"

The creature behind him pushed him down, causing his sword to fly away and his torch to fall to the floor. Steve quickly turned his body around to face the Zombie as it came closer while growling angrily.

Steve fumbled into his inventory, looking for a weapon he could use against the beast. He didn't have much time, he needed to . . ..

A loud bang vibrated throughout the cavern as Zaeed fired his rifle at the Zombie, staggering the creature back.

"Get up, rookie!" Zaeed reached out his hand to Steve as the Zombie regained its balance and growled.

Steve grabbed his hand and got up. Zaeed lifted his rifle to the Zombie again, firing mass accelerator rounds into its undead chest. Each round caused the Zombie to stagger back and grunt from the pain, and after a few its voice gurgled and it fell to the ground.

Zaeed stepped towards the dead Zombie and kicked it. "It's guddamn dead alright."

Shepard and the others all moved in behind them, each one observing the dead Zombie.

Shepard studied the creature for a moment and turned to Steve. "What is that?"

"Zombie." Steve explained, "It revived human, made by Herobrine as final insult. Many die in battles, Herobrine take dead and convert them. They very common creatures."

Shepard shook his head in disgust. "Turning humans into undead abominations . . . this Herobrine sounds exactly like the Reapers."

"Rea-pers?" Steve repeated. _What's a Reaper?_

"You don't know about the Reapers?" Shepard sighed, "Just like everyone else I guess. They're a race of sentient starships that are coming from dark space to destroy all advanced life in the galaxy. Just like Herobrine they take humans and turn them into . . . unpleasant abominations . . .."

"Oh." Steve scratched his head. "So you fight them?"

"Yes, I do. They threaten everything we've ever known, and we have to stop them."

Steve nodded and picked up his sword, checking it for scratches. "Reapers sound evil, but they not evil as Herobrine."

Zaeed chuckled. "I don't think you know what you're talking about, rookie."

Steve turned to the scarred mercenary and glared. "I do, Zaeed. You no know what life like here, monsters always threatening, weather always treacherous, and food always scarce. Life hard, painful, full of unhappiness, but I live. Why? Because I know life, I know what I talk about."

Zaeed chuckled. "We'll have to swap war stories after this is over, rookie, but let's get moving."

Steve nodded and turned to the others. "Follow me, I know where treasure lies."

The others nodded and Steve continued down the tunnel. Memories of his last visit here haunted him every time he saw an object or landmark he remembered; flashes of friends in pain, allies betraying him, his best friend Mark sacrificing himself for him . . . it was almost too much. Then he saw it; the cliff. . ..

Steve froze in his tracks and his skin grew cold as he looked at the cliff he had last seen his darling sister Stephanie . . . he had been too weak to save her, too weak to pull her to safety fast enough. He had seen the look in her eye when he had to let go of her hand to save himself . . . not a day went by that he didn't regret it, but there had been no choice. If he would've tried to save her the creatures would have pushed him off of the cliff as well, and they would both be dead . . ..

"Get a move on, rookie." Zaeed pushed Steve from behind, breaking his train of thought.

Steve grumbled and continued on through the mineshaft, the team behind him. Being with this odd bunch was nearly unbearable to Steve, but he knew once they found Herobrine's lair, he wouldn't have to worry about them anymore . . ..

* * *

**Author's endnote: Herobrine's Mine . . . I wonder what will happen next? :O Stay tuned, though as I noted earlier this story isn't on my priorities list. But worry not, it will continue, and I'll do my best to make it good! :) See you next chapter!**


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